Shifting Emeralds & Gold
by TheAcromantula
Summary: Just after witnessing the cold blooded murder of a fellow student and the rebirth of the Dark Wanker, can our loyal hero survive with only the help of a talented metamophmagus and a noted alchemist. Step inside to continue the journey. Why give away the better parts in the description.


Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Shifting Emeralds & Gold

By The Acromantula

Number Four Privet Drive was a true façade of a building. It appeared to be peaceful, serene and aesthetically pleasing on the outside. Only the residents who called No. 4 home knew the truth. The soul and heart of the domicile was black and cold as ice. It had been just ten months since the attacks on the Quidditch World Cup and just a few weeks since the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament yet here she was stuck on guard duty on her day off. Auror Nymphadora Tonks was one of the newest recruits to a secret society named the Order of the Phoenix. She wasn't even a full-fledged member. Like any good auror worth her badge, she did a little snooping into the group.

Many people who knew of the Order's existence believed that the group was founded by Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore during You Know Who's first rise to power. The best lies are hidden when surrounded by truth. Tonks had a knowledgeable source whom only went by the code name Blackfox. She had a good idea as to Blackfox's true identity but wasn't stupid enough to pursue that search any farther. Saving the only lives of a high ranking ministry official and their family went a lot way apparently.

According to Blackfox, it was true that Dumbledore did found a secret society but he didn't do it alone nor was the group's original name the Order Of The Phoenix. Her source showed her the last known copy of a recruiting flyer for the Gesellschaft der Blitz Adler. The Society of the Lightning Eagle was a pureblood secret society originially founded in Germany just before the turn of the century. The group's aims were the promotion of muggle subjugation and maintaining the status quo. While the groups goals were rather distastful, Tonks found that the ultimate surprise lay with exactly who the group's founding member were. Blackfox told her that if this flyer ever made public, certain heads of the magicl goverment would roll. The group was founded by Algernon Croaker, Gellert Grindelwald, Fenton Dixon Moody Aberforth and Albus Dumbledore. There they stood together in the recruiting picture each striking quite a powerful pose.

She couldn't believe her eyes and ears. Four of the five were well known in the British Magical society. Algernon Croaker was the head of the department of mysteries. Fenton Dixon Moody was one of the best aurors the ministry ever had. He also happened to be the father of her mentor. Blackfox told her that he was one of the founding member but left just before this poster was created. He was sent that poster in hopes to entice a reconcilliation. Blackfox said that he couldn't remember if he had either burnt or lost the handrwitten note that came with the poster but he was sure it was penned by Albus.

Tonks wanted to question her mentor Alistair "Mad-Eye" Moody but knew that the saga between father and son was malevolent and bloody one. Fenton Moody might have been a hero in the British Isles he spent the last of his days in a Bulgarian high security prison after been convicted of rape and molestation of children. How Moody left the British ministry was shrouded in mystery but it was whispered that a secret backroom deal was cut. The ministry was in real trouble if the whispers about Moody ever got out. Each criminal that he put away would demand a new trial. They would have to deal with over five hundred cases. The Bulgarian government reached out to Mad-Eye to track down his father. They wanted Fenton Moody either locked behind bars or his head on a pike and they were willing to pay handsomely for such a service.

The first version of the order officially disbanded after the falling out between the brothers Dumbledore. Most believed that it was due to the death of Ariana Dumbledore but Blackfox explained that it was really a power struggle between brothers. Albus and his lover Gellert were the ones who were really believed in the subjugation every non pureblood. Albus saw himself as a benevolent overlord who flexed the combined power between himself and Gellert if they ran into opposition.

The group drifted apart after the breakup. Aberforth became a recluse after the fight that caused the death of his sister. As much as he was a hateful bastard, Aberforth still loved his sister dearly. Fenton and Algernon joined or infiltrated the Ministry. Gellert went back to Germany and became Hitler's personal Warlock. Albus kept the ideals of his group alive. All he had to do was change the group's name and keep the true ideals shrouded in mystery.

Blackfox kept tabs on Albus over the years. He had theorized that Voldemort didn't just rise to power. It seemed a little too easy. His theory posited that Albus created the monster that was Voldemort. Something must have caused a rift between master and protégé because Voldemort and his Death Eaters started a war against Dumbledore and his light bright brigade. The fact that nobody else could see it wasn't a war between good and evil but race to the top of tower of power. The reformation of the Gesellschaft der Blitz Adler was disguised as the Order of the Phoenix.

Blackfox told her that he wanted her to work for him. He wanted to keep tabs on Albus but the old coot had discovered his last two spies and those two spies died October 31st, 1980. Tonks was surprised that Harry's parents were both double agents. Both worked for the department of mysteries and Blackfox was James' handler and boss. Lily worked in the department's spell R&D division. Blackfox somehow convinced the Potters that all was not well with the so-called leader of the light. Tonks guessed that a certain poster may have been exhibited as proof that Dumbledore but that probably wasn't his only proof. She agreed right away. She wanted to honor the Potters and their beautiful baby boy.

Tonks was brought out of her memories when the front door to No. 4 flew open and the Two corpulent Dursley men and a blonde walking twig rushed out of the house. The elder man quickly flung the door shut and locked it behind him. The family quickly piled into the car. Tubby the Elder gunned the engine to his brown Vauxhall Astra diesel as the tires peeled out of the carport and down towards the exit of Privet drive. Tonks knew that the Dursleys weren't at all religious. So to see them leaving very early on a Sunday morning was highly suspicious especially when a certain dark haired youthful heartthrob was missing from the equation.

She remembered the looks on the looks their faces. They were all wore smiles that would make even Dolores Umbridge cringe. Something was definitely not right. This required a thorough investigation. She was still under a strong disillusionment charm as she quietly popped through the so-called powerful yet nonexistent blood wards. Tonks might have joined the Auror Corp but she could have easily become a cure breaker's apprentice right out of Hogwarts. The only wards that she could detect were two weak anti-apparation and anti-portkey wards and a mail redirection ward. The hair on the back of her neck stood up straight. Dumbledore told the order that Harry would be protected from any one of his enemies. The fact that the whole wizarding world believed him was another mystery indeed.

She cast an unlocking charm on the backdoor to the house which lead right into the kitchen. Her nostrils were bombarded by the smell of rotten eggs. If it had been any other wizard they would have either just banished away the smell or thrown up a bubblehead charm. Tonks having been raised in a muggle house immediately applied the bubblehead charm and raced over to the gas range. She quickly closed the open valve. She knew it was wise that using magic around all of these electronic devices would cause one spark and the house and most of the neighborhood would have been destroyed in the ensuing explosion.

After she repaired the gas line, she opened up every single window and door to try and vent out the gas. She heard a very quiet and muffled voice come from upstairs. In her haste in preventing an explosion, she had totally forgotten about Harry. She undid the bubblehead charm and sniffed the air. She knew the kitchen would have had the highest concentration of natural gas. It had only been about two minutes since she saw the Dursleys leave. She was pretty sure that a trace amount of the gas made it upstairs.

She was horrified to see one door at the top of the stairs had no less than six deadbolt locks on the outside of door. Each one probably required a different key. The most abhorrent act of cruelty was the cat flap at the bottom of the door. Her metamorph powers allowed her senses to be rather powerful. She picked up a putrid mix of vomit, sweat and body odor coming from behind the secured door. Once again, she applied the bubblehead charm then used an overpowered summoning charm on the door. The door was ripped from its hinges and flung out into the hallway. Her skintight leather coat and pants protected her from the flying splinters.

As she walked into the room she felt like she had been punched in the gut. The room had a dark and depressed aura hanging in the putrid air. She couldn't believe what she saw. There were bars on the window. Upon the bed there was a skeleton of a young man. His head listed off to one side. The sun reflected off of the shiny chain which was looped around his neck that was connected to the flimsy headboard. Each limb was tied to a bed post. The emaciated body was covered in bruises, cuts, and scars. She had to reapply the bubblehead charm after she threw up inside the bubble.

She gently walked over to the bed bent down and checked for a pulse. She was relieved that she found one even if it was rather weak. Tonks almost thought he would have been better off without a pulse. He would have been safe once again in the arms of his mother and father. Blackfox had an update to his theory. He proposed that Dumbledore planned to either use Harry the same way he used Voldemort. Whatever the reason, Tonks believed that Harry was no longer safe in any place Dumbledore had access or knowledge.

She waved her wand and all of Harry's chains fell to the ground with a cacophonous rattle. She then unzipped the top half of her leather body suit. She then reached into her ample cleavage and fished out a small locket. Blackfox had gifted this locket to her. It was his newest invention. It was a new type of evacuation portkey that was reserved for the severely injured. His new portkey could break out of the strongest anti-portkey wards. The other feature fixed the landing aspect. Blackfox's portkey allowed even the newest portkey traveler to have the softest of landings.

Blackfox crafted this portkey especially for Harry. He knew that Harry would need rescuing after what Tonks had reported back to him about Harry's deplorable living conditions. The portkey would bring both Tonks and Harry back to a place more secure than Hogwarts, Azkaban, and Gringotts combined. She took off the locket and placed it on Harry's chest. She carefully sat down next to him and placed one finger on to the locket. All she needed to do was state the activation phrase. She hoped her rusty French would come through for her.

"Plomb Tin Fer Or" She said out loud. The magic of the portkey activated and both Harry and Tonks faded away.

Harry and Tonks faded back into existence without a sound. She would have to compliment Blackfox on his ingenuity and creative nature. That was by far the best portkey she had ever experienced. They had landed in what appeared to be a large healing ward or ritual room. The room had a hint of lavender wafting through the air. She heard the sound of locks disengaging and then heavy doors swinging open.

"I see that you and young Master Potter have finally arrived. Good good, although I expected you two to show up one or two days after Hogwarts broke for the summer." A voice said as he entered the room.

"Blackfox, Harry is in dire need of medical attention. Those dirty rotten plonkers beat the living snot out of him and then set the house up to explode. They rigged their gas line so that it was venting into the first floor of the house. I didn't have any time to search for a trigger so I just fixed the gas line without magic and then opened up all of the doors and windows. I…" Tonks said without taking a breath.

"Sweet Dora slow down and take a breath. I only want to heal one person today. Gently levitate him over to the healing pool. This pool and a few special potions will heal of his bodily injuries. However, I can sense a true darkness within him and there are only a few things that could cure such an affliction. Once again, Tonks while we are here at my home I ask of you to please call me by my given name." Blackfox explained.

"But Blackfox, nobody living bar your wife knows your given name." Tonks shot back with a smile. She waved her wand and levitated Harry's unconscious body into the special healing pool.

"Fine fine then just use the name most have for the last six hundred and seventy years." Blackfox said rather annoyed.

Tonks smirked at his response. She always played this game with him when she visited. "Of course Nicolas I think we can make this introduction game of ours a tradition. How are you and Perenelle doing?" She didn't notice that Harry was completely submerged within the pool. She looked over to the pool and started to freak out. Her ample chest jiggled while trapped inside her leather suit. "Nick… Nick…Nick… Doesn't Harry's head need to be above water? He could drown. Aren't you the least bit concerned?" Tonks said with a worried look on her face.

"I'm not worried a bit. The water like solution Harry is submerged in has been magically infused to allow the body to absorb oxygen through the skin and directly into the bloodstream. The water and potions are slowly healing his body. The water will automatically drain from the pool and then will automatically refill itself. Harry should still be unconscious. One of us will need to wake him up so that I or Perenelle can explain the next part of the healing process. I hope you can assist in his process. Can I get you any sort of refreshment? It sounds like quite a harrowing experience you went through earlier this morning." Nicolas asked.

"Hmm, I guess I could use a pepper up potion with a firewhiskey chaser. However, those two liquids counteract each other so a nice large glass of cool pumpkin juice." Tonks said begrudgingly.

"You know that mixing firewhiskey and pepper up potion is an old witch's tale. Alchemically speaking, those two liquids would do twice the damage to one's esophagus, stomach and small intestines." Nicolas said as he turned his head when he heard the pool starting to drain. "Ahh good, I was hoping that most of the damage to his body was mostly just superficial and skin deep." He waved his hand over the pool and muttered something in a language that Tonks couldn't decipher. Golden writing of what appeared to be a medical report was hovering over the pool. The top the pool was covered by what appeared to be some non-translucent shield.

"Perhaps, I spoke too soon. Those monsters systematically abused that boy from pretty much since the day he was dropped on their doorstep. It is hard to say whether these people were truly evil of their own accord or was did a manipulating old coot play some sort of role in the Dursleys decent into diabolical depravity." Nicolas questioned uncertainly.

"Nicolas, you are the oldest man by centuries and you still think that speaking in alliteration still passes for being witty." Tonks said as she tried to hold back a laugh. "Anyway, can you explain to the rest of the class what is written on on the blackboard?"

"Harry's injuries were far worse than I had originally first thought. Ninety percent of them were not caused within the last twenty four hours. It would be a safe assumption that if Harry didn't possess quite a substantial albeit severely blocked magical core he would have died within the first few years of his life. Starvation and malnourishment should merit a lifetime sentence in a Russian magical gulag or a quick trip through the veil. Food is quintessential for a growing magical core. Despite of all this abuse and neglect, Harry has one of the most powerful magical cores ever recorded. He will definitely need training when we release the binds on his magic." Nicolas explained.

"This is so unreal. I wish I had stopped those evil people when I had the opportunity. The residents of the highest security wing in Azkaban are treated better than Harry. What else can we to help him?" Tonks asked with a look of desperation.

"Other than a few rounds of Skele-Grow, what we need to address is that little blight behind that famous scar. Throughout your travels, have you ever come across a terrible bit of magic known as a horcrux?" Nicolas inquired.

"Nope, I am sure that I've never heard of that strange bit of magic." Tonks answered.

"I would be stunned if you had. Without going into too much details, it's how Voldemort cheated death. Essentially, a horcrux is a soul anchor. One splits his soul in half and then stores it in an object. The ritual used to create the horcrux also creates astronomically strong protections that normal magic is futile again." Nicolas explained.

"You're telling me that Harry's scar is a horcrux and that there isn't much we can do about removing it." Tonks sighed in defeat.

"I'm positive that Voldemort wanted to use Harry's murder as the catalyst for the creation of one but what lies behind his scar isn't a true horcrux. If it had been, Voldemort would have been able to feel it each time he and Harry faced each other. There are few known ways to exterminate a horcrux. The down side is that the receptacle has to be totally destroyed in order for the soul within to pass on." Nicolas said sadly.

"HARRY HAS TO DIE?" Tonks shouted.

"All ritualistic magic demands a sacrifice. Harry will die either way. If we do nothing, that leach will eventually drain his magic. At best he would have a few more years. I am actually surprised how long he lasted so far. A witch or wizard of a lesser caliber would have died before the age of eleven. There are three known ways to exterminate a horcrux known to a few and they are basilisk venom, the Fiendfyre Curse and the Killing Curse. Knowing Harry's rather farfetched adventures at school, I would have thought that the basilisk venom that was injected by Salazar's basilisk would have done the trick. Alas Fawkes has an affinity for young Harry." Nicolas explained.

"How could you know all about Harry while he was at school? I was there his first year and have friends who are still there. They keep tabs on the Hogwarts Rumor Mill and nothing like Harry having to face a basilisk ever come up. All they told me that Harry faced something down in the famed Chamber of Secrets." Tonks said as she seemed rather annoyed.

"They never did teach simple logic at Hogwarts and it's really a shame. Salazar Slytherin a noted Parselmouth whose emblem of choice for his house was that of a snake. He sought those who had ambition and those who wear cunning enough to achieve it. Nothing but the best would do for young Salazar. However, Xena was never a monster until some dark lord wannabe forced Xena to do his bidding." Tonks had a look of disbelief plastered on her face. Nicolas shook his head. He knew that there were more secrets that he would have to make Tonks privy to than he expected.

"Dora, may I call you that?" She nodded. "There are many secrets that I have to reveal to you in order for you to help Harry. I have one request. I need you to be completely free of any loyalties you may have sworn. I knew that you are sworn loyalty to both the Ministry and to Dumbledore and his so-called order. If you want to continue from this moment on, you need to renounce all allegiances to anyone or anything. If you have forgotten even the smallest of promises, the Fróðleikr Hlítor ritual will cleanse you. I don't mean to rush you but time is of the essence."

"You must have something up your sleeve. You wouldn't go through all of this trouble if you didn't have something in mind. I want to agree and say yes to you but I have been burned badly before for blindly saying yes." Tonks wore a look of growing frustration.

"I can brilliance beyond your young years. Yes, I do have a plan to save him but it requires sacrifice and pain. I require your unyielding loyalty. I will not beg but if you decide to leave, I will have to remove all traces of myself and my home from your mind. Worse, I won't be able to save Harry without you. To put it bluntly you and you special condition is the only solution to cure Harry." Nicolas said gravely. He didn't like putting others under heavy burdens but he felt that he had no other option. This world was doomed if these two rituals weren't completed.

Tonks was having a crisis of faith. Did she have the conviction to give up everything she had ever known? This offer was one that only came once in a million years. She had a feeling that the Nicolas persona was just the tip of a very large iceberg. She would be giving up everything that she had worked so hard to achieve. She was the youngest auror to ever to pass the brutal training course in record time. It was always her dream to help serving the public. She was surprised how little the aurors actually did other than mercenaries with government credentials. Under Mad Eye Moody, she learned not only how to survive but how to do police work.

She knew what choice she had to make. She owed everything to Harry. There was an incident at Hogwarts her seventh year that only three people knew about. It was the last week of winter term. It was the anniversary of her father's murder and she had found a bottle of firewhiskey and an empty classroom. It was probably not the best coping mechanism but that was her choice to make. She didn't know exactly when the door opened but she was a few sheets to the wind. She remembered seeing flaming red hair and hearing a pair of pants hitting the floor. She knew she told him no but no wasn't a word he wanted to hear.

The next thing she knew the flaming redhead was on the floor and a tiny black-haired green-eyed god throwing mean right hooks. She quickly got her wand and wordlessly cast a sobriety charm. She then stunned the red head. She pulled the black haired god and gave him a hug. She was shocked that her savior was none other than Harry Potter. He told her that he heard her shouting for help. He was lucky the redhead didn't cast a stronger locking charm otherwise he would have been too late. She knew exactly what she had to do.

"Nick, I am ready to make the choice of a lifetime. I am ready to join you in your service. It is really Harry who made my choice for me. He was there for me in a time of need when nobody else was. He needs me now more than ever." Tonks said with a big smile on her face.

"Excellent, we need to start quickly then. You will be enduring an ancient Norse cleansing and loyalty ritual. I will not lie to you. This will be extremely painful. Far worse than Mad-Eye's Cruciatus curse you endured during training. You will need to be naked and you will need to bare your soul. I know you know what that means." Nicolas explained. Tonks nodded.

She had to bare her true self. She was originally going to be named Maia Ayla Tonks but her mother changed her first name to Nymphadora when a magical blood test revealed that her newborn somehow had nymph blood supplementing her human blood. It's the nymph blood which allowed her to be a full metamorphmagus whereas the latent trait found in the Black family only allowed a few to achieve partial transformations. Tonks knew she had to revert to a form she had only used when she was only with her immediate family. While she had the looks of her mother and her mothers sisters, Tonks was a nymph. Her beauty was naturally enhanced regardless of what form she took. Magic wouldn't allow her to take an ugly form whether it were either male or female.

She started undoing the ties to her custom made Hungarian Horntail leather stiletto boots Next came the body suit. She had to wave her wand to remove the auto-fitting charm. If she didn't there was no escaping the tight confines of the matching Horntail body suit. After a few moments she was free. She next delved into her memories. She kept her original form avatar buried deep under layers of occlumency shielding. Only her parents knew that she was a true nymph.

Her features soften. Her hips widened and thickened. Her first form added a good twenty to twenty five pounds. Her hair went from her favorite bubblegum pink to a celestial bluish black. If one looked into her eyes, they would not see the matching pink irises but what would look like tiny little galaxies. Her breasts grew larger yet sat high and firm on her chest. The ancient Norse rune for star was naturally tattooed above each nipple. The Norse rune for light was placed just above her cute bush of black hair.

Nicolas classified her as a celestial nymph. He wasn't surprised when she had recorded the highest astronomy O.W.L.S. & N.E.W.T.S. scores in the last century. He had always dreamed of having a daughter. Tonks could have been mistaken for the daughter of Nicolas and Perenelle. Due to the sacrifices required to create the true philosopher's stone, Nicolas and Perenelle were both rendered nearly sterile. He smiled that she agreed. Not even the most bare and beautiful nymph could tempt Nicolas. That supreme resistance happens when one enters a veela bond.

"You are exactly how I imagined my daughter to look like with that matching happy go lucky personality teamed with that thirst for knowledge and that drive to avenge your father's murder." Nicolas said while Tonks couldn't hide her blush from his high praise. "Now I need you to lie down on this Norse runic ritual altar. I will have to bind you to the altar. This is to support you throughout this unbelievably painful ritual."

Tonks walked over to the altar and climbed up and laid down on the altar. He instructed her to cover certain runes with each and foot. He waved his hand and leather straps jumped out of the runes and latched onto her hands and feet. Another heavy leather strap ran across her abdomen and forehead. She was truly was immobilized.

"We have to do to it this way because there can be no wand magic can interfere during the ritual. Now since you are going to be experiencing an unconscionable amount of pain, your mouth may close suddenly and there is the chance in which you could severely injure your tongue." He waved his hand and a strange looking red ball appeared. "This ball will go into your mouth. It's make up allows normal breathing yet its structurally sound to resist the strength of a dragon's jaw."

"Aren't you the kinky one?" Tonks said saucily with a smirk.

"Tonks! This is not the time for your brand of salacious humor." Nicolas chastised as he offered the ball in front Tonk's mouth. She readily opened up her mouth and he lowered the ball in to her mouth. It was time to begin.

"Dætur Óðni heyra hróp mitt! Slepptu skuldabréf einu dætrum! Losa hana úr Albus Dumbledore og Fönixregluna. Losa hana úr ráðuneytinu galdra. Heyr bæn mína frelsa hana nú" Nicolas chanted from deep within his soul. His voice was laced with his magic. His aura pulsed around the room.

Tonks was convulsing in pain. She would have bit straight through her tongue if it weren't for Nicolas's special ball gag. There were only a few people more sadistic than Alastair Moody and his Cruciatus curse. She endured nearly a minute of that. However this pain wasn't focused on her nerves but on her mind and soul. Loyalty oaths if broken normally resulted in death depending on how the oaths are worded. This ritual somehow bypassed the magic behind loyalty oaths. She just wanted it to stop. She noticed that Nicolas had stopped chanting. Her eyes were coming back into focus. The next sense to come back on line was her sense of smell. She could smell her arousal. Next she could feel the results of her arousal by slightly rotating her hips side to side. She was quite slippery.

She didn't know what shocked her more the fact that she was aroused by pain or the fact that it was a Black family tradition. Her own mother was a mind healer and psychiatrist who specialized in alternative treatments for various mental afflictions. Her aunt Narcissa has been one of the most successful madams in the British wizarding world. It was no surprise that the ministry tried and failed to shut down her brothel. Narcissa herself specialized in clients who had addictions to pain. Her other aunt Bellatrix was just your run of the mill sadist who loved the pain she inflicted on others almost as much as her love of her master's Cruciatus.

"Good you survived and are not vomiting up blood. You are remarkably strong willed. Strong in mind and strong in body. Any other normal magical would have self destructed and left quite the mess. The pain will subside in less than a few moments but your muscles will be tender until we get you into the same pool Harry is in." Nicolas waved his hand and all of the leather restraints disappeared. He waved his hand again and a tight form fitting black bikini materialized right on to her body. Despite Nicolas's ancient nature, Tonks couldn't complain about his fashion sense. She tried to reduce her bust size but something seemed to be blocking her ability.

"I would also advise you not to tap in to your metamorph powers for a few days. You are in still in your first form. The cleansing ritual nearly drained all of your magic. While you still have your reserve, unneeded shape shifting burned up your available magic. Once we swear you into my service and a few days of rest your magical core should be at least back to your normal. It's even possible to see a boost in your power level. How are you feeling?"

"Other than feeling like the Knight bus plowed into me at full tilt, I am fine. My concern is for Harry. I kept my mind and thoughts on him during the ritual. It was the only thing that kept me sane. You weren't kidding. That pain you could never put it into words. Indescribable. I should be dead." said Tonks.

"Harry is fine. He is still unconscious but his vitals look strong. Would you like to join him into the pool or would you like to start the swearing in process?" Nicolas asked but he knew what choice she was going to make. She saw that glint in his eye. That cheeky bugger. He knew.

"I am insulted that you even had to ask. I am not sure how sturdy my legs are. They both feel like jelly and my balance is shot. I require your deft touch old Saint Nick." She knew that jib would be a nice payback for him scanning her surface thoughts. "You have some nerve to touch my mind while I'm vulnerable. Do it again, and you'll be hanging from the ceiling by only your coin purse. She heard the telltale sign of a very nervous swallowing sound. She had his undivided attention.

He waved his hand and levitated her up off the stone altar and over to the healing pool. The pool enlarged itself to accommodate another person. Nick carefully lowered her into the pool next to Harry. She immediately started feeling the restorative power of the waters. Nick said that he needed to go back to his lab to pick up a few more potions for her. Her body could finally start to relax. The bikini though it was very nice felt wrong. Was Nick ashamed of her youthful beauty? She thought as she pulled the strings to both her top and her bottom. They floated up to the surface of the bath. She picked up the suit and tossed out on to the stone floor.

She had goose bumps even though she was in very warm water. She looked over to her right and saw her savior. She finally repaid her debt. Some unknown force slowly pulled them together. She opened up her arms and pulled Harry in for a hug. The next thing she felt was warmth. The same effect a nice warm blanket has on that cold winter's night. She didn't even notice her eyes closing. In record time, she ascended to the realm of Morpheus.


End file.
